Global Pulse

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  • Westpac sounds alarm on economy with grim forecast for inflation and growth

    Westpac sounds alarm on economy with grim forecast for inflation and growth

    As geopolitical tensions in the Middle East send ripple effects across global supply chains, three of Australia’s four largest financial institutions have issued a coordinated warning of mounting economic pressure on domestic households, with multiple interest rate increases, soaring living costs and stalled growth projected in the coming years.

    Westpac, the latest major bank to release its gloomy economic outlook alongside half-year financial results, forecasts that the Reserve Bank of Australia will implement three additional interest rate hikes for mortgage holders, with the first increase expected as early as this Tuesday. The bank projects inflation will climb to 4.6% and GDP growth will cool to just 1% by the end of December 2026, a sharp slowdown from current trend levels.

    Westpac Chief Executive Anthony Miller directly tied the worsening economic outlook to ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, noting that disrupted global energy supply chains have pushed up prices that are now passing through to both businesses and consumers across the country. “Different sectors are bearing uneven impacts from these disruptions, but the pressure is widespread,” Miller explained. He added that the bank stands ready to collaborate with the federal government to bolster Australia’s economic resilience, including continued investment in a stable, sustainable national energy system to mitigate long-term supply risks.

    In its half-year results, Westpac reported a net profit of $3.5 billion when excluding one-time notable items, marking a 1% year-on-year increase from 2025 but a 1% dip over the past six months. Despite the uncertain macroeconomic landscape, the bank recorded strong growth across key lending lines: Australian business lending rose 16% over the 12-month period, while institutional lending jumped 23%. Customer deposits also grew by 7%, driven by expanding transaction account volumes, and operating expenses fell 2% compared to the previous half-year.

    Miller noted that the vast majority of mortgage holders – around 85% – had built buffers ahead of the latest conflict, with payments ahead of schedule. Even so, the bank has recorded a clear slowdown in residential mortgage applications in April, signaling that fewer Australians are moving forward with home purchases amid rising borrowing costs.

    Ahead of the upcoming federal budget, Miller also called for targeted national productivity reforms to maintain Australia’s global competitiveness. “We must seize the opportunity for meaningful reform to put the economy on a stronger footing for coming challenges,” he said.

    Westpac’s downbeat forecast aligns with projections from two other major Australian banks, ANZ and National Australia Bank (NAB), all three of which point to the Middle East conflict as a core driver of growing uncertainty. NAB Chief Executive Andrew Irvine acknowledged that while the environment has become far more volatile, with volatility expected to persist for some time, most Australian households start from a position of financial resilience.

    Like Westpac, Irvine predicts an interest rate hike will come out of Tuesday’s RBA monetary board meeting, followed by one additional increase. He noted that the central bank faces an extraordinarily difficult balancing act, as high inflation remains a persistent threat to household and business stability that must be brought under control. “The RBA has a devilishly difficult job ahead of them,” Irvine said. “Inflation is running too high and we have to get it under control. Inflation is bad for households and businesses.”

    For its part, ANZ reported that most of its mortgage customers have kept up with payments so far, but CEO Nuno Matos warned that the full impact of the Middle East crisis has yet to be felt. “The longer global oil supply remains constrained, the greater the risk that this crisis shifts from primarily an inflation challenge to a broader shock that hits supply chains and overall economic growth,” Matos explained.

  • China’s Wu Yize wins World Snooker Championship for first time

    China’s Wu Yize wins World Snooker Championship for first time

    In a historic, edge-of-your-seat final at Sheffield’s iconic Crucible Theatre, 22-year-old Chinese cuemaker Wu Yize clinched his first ever World Snooker Championship crown on Monday, edging out veteran English competitor Shaun Murphy by a razor-thin 18-17 scoreline in a deciding frame that kept fans holding their breath until the final shot.

    Wu’s triumph marks a second consecutive milestone for Chinese snooker: he becomes just the second Chinese player to lift the sport’s most prestigious trophy, following compatriot Zhao Xintong’s history-making win last year that saw Zhao become the first Asian world champion. Wu also enters the record books as the second youngest world champion ever crowned at the Crucible, sitting only behind Scottish legend Stephen Hendry, who claimed his first title at 21 back in 1990.

    After a tense back-and-forth battle that stretched across two days of play, Wu held his composure when it mattered most to seal the victory. Heading into Monday’s final session, Wu held a narrow 10-7 advantage from Sunday’s opening exchanges, and extended his lead to 13-12 early on. But Murphy, a former world champion who claimed the title in 2005, refused to bow out easily. The Englishman grittily leveled the score at 16-16 with a well-earned century break, setting off a tense sprint to the finish.

    Wu struck first in the closing exchanges, pulling off a brilliant 91-point clearance from a 45-0 deficit to move one frame away from the title at 17-16. He jumped to a 43-0 lead in the next frame, seemingly on the brink of victory, but a missed black off the spot let Murphy step in, who crafted a 75 break to force a decisive 35th frame. It was Wu who capitalized on the final turning point: Murphy left a tricky red ball hanging over the middle pocket, and Wu coolly slotted it home to launch an 85-break that sealed the historic win. This final marks the first time the World Snooker Championship has gone to a deciding frame since Peter Ebdon’s 18-17 win over Stephen Hendry in 2002.

    In the immediate aftermath of his win, an emotional Wu paid tribute to the parents who have supported his snooker journey from its earliest days. “I have been trying to go for this for ages. For the past few months, I have been living the same life. I’m so happy that I could play well today,” Wu told reporters after the match. His parents, who were in the crowd, wiped away tears of joy before joining him for the trophy presentation. “My parents are the true champions. Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side. My mum has also been going through a lot over the years, they are the source of my strength, I love them so much.” When asked about his immediate plans for celebration, the new champion laughed off grand gestures, saying: “I just want to have a good sleep. I have been feeling nerves all the time since before the match, so now I just want to go to bed!”

    For Murphy, the defeat extends a tough run in World Championship finals: Monday’s loss was his fourth final defeat since he claimed the title in 2005. Despite the heartbreak, the English veteran was generous in praise for the new champion, recalling a prediction he made earlier in the season. “I hate being right, but we had a great game in China earlier this season. I came out afterwards and said he would be world champion one day,” Murphy said. “It’s just a real shame that it was today, but I couldn’t have given it any more. I played the best shots I could. I just didn’t get my chance.”

    Hailing from Lanzhou in northwest China, Wu turned professional at just 17, and made a pivotal move to Sheffield three years ago to train alongside the growing community of elite Chinese snooker players based in the city. His path to the top was not without sacrifice: in his early months in England, he shared a small, windowless apartment with his father, where the pair shared a bed to cut costs. That dedication and sacrifice has slowly paid off, with runner-up finishes at the 2024 English Open and Scottish Open building momentum ahead of his Crucible run. Wu claimed his first ever ranking title at last year’s International Championship, where he defeated snooker great John Higgins.

    Currently the youngest player ranked in the world’s top 16, Wu’s run to the 2025 world title included standout wins over former champions Mark Selby and Mark Allen that signaled he was a contender to watch. Even before his triumph, the young star had earned high praise from the sport’s biggest names: Ronnie O’Sullivan once described Wu as a “more dynamic” version of all-time legend Steve Davis. Now, like O’Sullivan and Davis, Wu can officially add “world snooker champion” to his list of career achievements.

  • Pulitzers honor damning coverage of Trump and his policies

    Pulitzers honor damning coverage of Trump and his policies

    The 2025 Pulitzer Prizes, announced Monday by Columbia University’s award committee, have cemented a clear stand in defense of independent journalism, with the majority of top honors going to outlets that published searing, in-depth investigations into the policies and actions of the second Donald Trump administration.

    Ahead of revealing the year’s winners, Pulitzer Administrator Marjorie Miller opened the announcement with a firm rebuke of growing threats to press freedom under the current U.S. presidency, saying: “We stand for civil discourse and against censorship. Unfortunately, this bears repeating now, as media access to the White House and Pentagon is restricted, free speech is challenged in the streets, and the President of the United States has filed lawsuits for billions of dollars for defamation and malice against multiple print and broadcast media.”

    The most prestigious award, the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, went to *The Washington Post* for its exhaustive reporting on Trump’s chaotic overhaul of the U.S. federal bureaucracy. Miller noted that the outlet’s coverage laid out in rich detail both the direct human toll of widespread staffing cuts and the long-term structural consequences of the reshuffle for the entire country.

    *The New York Times* took home the prize for Investigative Reporting for its explosive series exposing how Trump leveraged the power of the presidency to unlock lucrative business opportunities, lining the pockets of his immediate family and close political allies. The reporting detailed how members of Trump’s inner circle profited from their connections to wealthy Gulf monarchies and controversial forays into the cryptocurrency market.

    In the Local Reporting category, *The Chicago Tribune* earned recognition for what the committee called vivid, muscular prose documenting a siege-like incursion of federal immigration agents into the Midwestern city, carried out as part of the Trump administration’s hardline crackdown on undocumented migration. A second Local Reporting prize was awarded to the Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica for an investigation into predatory, unregulated vehicle towing practices across the state.

    Beyond the awards focused on the Trump administration, the committee issued a special posthumous and long-overdue citation to Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown for her groundbreaking 2017 and 2018 reporting on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Miller explained that Brown’s *Perversion of Justice* series, published nearly a decade before Epstein’s 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges, first revealed how politically connected prosecutors had shielded Epstein from serious prosecution when he was first accused of abusing dozens of underage young women.

    *The New York Times* also won the Breaking News Photography prize for Saher Alghorra’s haunting, sensitive collection of images capturing mass devastation and widespread starvation in Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Reuters took home the National Reporting prize for its rigorous investigation into how Trump has expanded executive power to exact political vengeance on perceived opponents, aided by hardline supporters within his administration. The Associated Press won the International Reporting category for its exposé of how the U.S. government allowed American tech firms to sell sensitive surveillance technology to China.

    Other major reporting honors went to the *San Francisco Chronicle*, which won the Explanatory Reporting prize for its series examining the aftermath of Southern California wildfires, documenting how major insurance companies routinely undervalued destroyed properties, wrongfully denied homeowners’ claims, and stalled rebuilding efforts for thousands of disaster survivors. Reuters also earned the Beat Reporting prize for its inventive and revelatory work exposing how Meta Platforms knowingly allowed widespread scams and AI-driven manipulation to run rampant across its Facebook and Instagram platforms, putting users at risk.

    The Breaking News Reporting prize went to the *Minnesota Star Tribune* for its comprehensive, community-focused coverage of a mass shooting at a back-to-school gathering at a Catholic school in the state, which left two children dead and 17 others wounded. The outlet’s coverage put a spotlight on the persistent prevalence of gun violence across the United States and the ongoing failures of policy efforts to curb it. The Feature Writing prize went to Aaron Parsley of *Texas Monthly* for his intimate, devastating personal account of the Central Texas floods that destroyed his family home and killed his nephew.

    In the arts categories, Bess Wohl’s play *Liberation* won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Jill Lepore’s *We the People* took the prize for History, and Amanda Vaill’s *Pride and Pleasure* was awarded the Pulitzer for Biography. Overseen by Columbia University, the Pulitzer Prizes remain the most prestigious award for American journalism and the arts, with this year’s winners drawing a clear line between independent investigative work and the growing threats to press freedom under the current administration.

  • Advantage Arsenal as Man City held in six-goal Everton thriller

    Advantage Arsenal as Man City held in six-goal Everton thriller

    The 2024-25 Premier League title race took a dramatic turn on Monday, as a chaotic 3-3 draw between Everton and defending champion Manchester City has left the destiny of the crown firmly in Arsenal’s hands. Jeremy Doku’s stoppage-time equalizer rescued a point for Pep Guardiola’s side at Goodison Park (branded the Hill Dickinson Stadium for sponsorship purposes), but a disastrous second-half defensive collapse left City unable to claim all three points that would have kept their title bid on track.

    Arsenal, led by manager Mikel Arteta, now hold a five-point advantage at the top of the table, with just three games remaining in the regular season. If the Gunners win all three of their remaining fixtures, they will end a 20-year trophy drought to claim their first Premier League title since 2002. City remain five points behind with a game in hand, but their messy performance against Everton has cast major doubt over their ability to claw back the deficit and secure a seventh league title in nine seasons.

    City entered the fixture under intense pressure, having watched Arsenal notch back-to-back wins while City took a two-week break from league action. Guardiola heavily rotated his squad for the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton the previous weekend, but his first team looked sharp rather than rusty in the opening 45 minutes. The Sky Blues pinned Everton deep inside their own half for nearly the entire first half, creating multiple chances before breaking the deadlock two minutes before the interval. Rayan Cherki threaded a pass through to Doku, who curled a clinical shot into the top right corner past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

    The first half also brought a controversial moment that would shape the final result: Everton defender Michael Keane escaped a red card after a wild, lunging tackle on Doku, receiving only a yellow card from the match official.

    That let-off proved pivotal as City produced a string of basic defensive errors in the second half that Everton ruthlessly punished. Before the first Everton goal, the hosts already wasted two clear chances: City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma parried an effort from Iliman Ndiaye back into the danger zone, but the rebound went unconverted, and Ndiaye missed another opening after a mistake from Matheus Nunes.

    City’s defensive lapses quickly handed Everton the lead. First, a badly underhit backpass from Marc Guehi left striker Thierno Barry one-on-one with Donnarumma, and Barry slotted home the equalizer with ease. Minutes later, another mistake put Everton ahead: Abdukodir Khusanov was caught in possession by Ndiaye, and while Guehi made a last-ditch intervention to stop the chance, the resulting corner found defender Jake O’Brien, who rose above the City defense to head home Everton’s second. A rapid Everton counter-attack soon produced a third, as Barry poked home a deflected cross from Merlin Rohl to put the Toffees 3-1 up, leaving Guardiola’s side completely disjointed at the back.

    But City immediately struck back to pull one back: straight from the kickoff, Mateo Kovacic played a through ball to Erling Haaland, who finished to cut the deficit to 3-2. Then, deep into seven minutes of stoppage time, Doku produced a sensational long-range strike to level the score at 3-3, shattering Everton’s hopes of a famous upset win that would have boosted their own European qualification bid.

    After the match, Guardiola acknowledged that City no longer control their own title destiny. “It’s better than losing. It shows what type of team they are,” he said of his side’s late fightback. “It’s not in our hands. Before it was, now it’s not. We have games left. We will see what happens.”

    Arsenal’s remaining fixture list sees them travel to relegation-battling West Ham United this coming Sunday, before hosting already-relegated Burnley and concluding the season with an away trip to Crystal Palace.

  • UAE says missile and drone strikes launched from Iran

    UAE says missile and drone strikes launched from Iran

    Just one month after agreeing to a fragile ceasefire with the United States, Iran has dramatically escalated tensions across the Persian Gulf by launching a coordinated barrage of missiles and drones against the United Arab Emirates, marking the first major assault on a Gulf Cooperation Council state in the post-ceasefire era. The large-scale attack has triggered immediate warnings from Abu Dhabi that it reserves the right to launch retaliatory action, stoking fears of a wider regional conflict.

    In an official statement released following the assault, the UAE’s foreign ministry condemned the operation as a reckless and unacceptable escalation that directly undermines the sovereignty, security and territorial stability of the country. “These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression, posing a direct threat to the state’s security, stability, and the safety of its territories,” the statement read, confirming that the Emirates would exercise its full legitimate right to respond to the unprovoked aggression.

    The assault unfolded shortly after the United States unveiled a new maritime security plan to escort commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s global oil supplies pass daily. Iranian state-run Fars News Agency initially claimed that Iranian military forces had struck a U.S. warship with two anti-ship missiles while the vessel was traversing the strategic waterway. That claim was swiftly rejected by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, who clarified Monday that only a South Korean-flagged vessel had been damaged in the incident. Trump added that U.S. forces had destroyed seven Iranian fast-attack craft operating in the area, a statement that Tehran quickly denied. U.S. Central Command also issued a formal rebuttal of Fars News’ report of a struck American warship.

    According to the UAE’s defense ministry, at least four cruise missiles were launched toward Emirati territory from Iranian soil. The country’s integrated air defense systems intercepted and destroyed three of the incoming projectiles, while the fourth missile impacted harmlessly in the open waters of the Gulf. A separate drone attack, however, ignited a blaze at an energy facility located in Fujairah, the UAE’s critical Indian Ocean port that serves as a key export hub for Emirati oil that avoids passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

    Local civil defense teams were deployed to the site within minutes of the attack. “Fujairah Civil Defence teams immediately responded to the incident and are continuing their efforts to control it,” the Fujairah media office confirmed in an update. Three Indian nationals working at the facility sustained moderate injuries in the strike, the Emirati federal government confirmed.

    The spillover from the attack extended to neighboring Oman, where local authorities reported two people were injured after a strike targeted a residential building in Bukha. The town of Bukha, which lends its name to the surrounding Omani province, sits in an Omani exclave along the Gulf coast, just northwest of the Emirate of Fujairah, putting it in the direct path of projectiles launched toward the UAE.

    Monday’s coordinated strikes have upended the tentative de-escalation that followed last month’s U.S.-Iran ceasefire, with regional powers already moving to reinforce military positions and issue diplomatic condemnations. The incident also underscores the persistent volatility of the Gulf region, even amid diplomatic efforts to reduce the risk of open conflict between Iran and Western-aligned Gulf states.

  • Rescuers among three dead after yacht sinks off Australian coast

    Rescuers among three dead after yacht sinks off Australian coast

    A devastating maritime tragedy has unfolded off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, leaving three people dead — including two volunteer marine rescuers who lost their lives answering a distress call from a sinking yacht. The incident unfolded Monday evening near the popular coastal town of South Ballina, located just kilometers from the border between New South Wales and Queensland, when rough, treacherous conditions turned a routine rescue mission into a disaster.

    Local emergency dispatchers received the first alert at 18:15 local time, when a member of the public spotted the recreational yacht struggling against high seas near the South Ballina breakwall. A volunteer crew from Marine Rescue NSW immediately launched to reach the stranded vessel, but disaster struck as their rescue craft crossed the notoriously choppy Ballina Bar: the small boat capsized amid powerful, unstable swells, throwing the crew into the frigid water. The two deceased rescuers were aged 62 and 78 respectively.

    Four other people aboard the yacht ultimately managed to swim to shore with only minor injuries, and search operations were scaled back Tuesday morning after all people connected to the distressed yacht were accounted for. By early Tuesday, search crews recovered the body of a third victim, a man believed to be in his 50s, washed up on a nearby sandbank. Formal identification of the third victim is still pending.

    In the wake of the disaster, Marine Rescue NSW confirmed the devastating loss in an official statement Tuesday. “It has been a terrible night for Marine Rescue NSW and our focus right now is supporting the families of those affected and our volunteers,” the organization’s spokesperson said. Commissioner Todd Andrews and Deputy Commissioner Dan Duemmer traveled to Ballina Tuesday morning to meet with local crews and coordinate support for the impacted community.

    Superintendent Joe McNulty, of the NSW Police Marine Area Command, described the sea conditions during the rescue as extremely dangerous in comments to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He paid solemn tribute to the volunteer crew, emphasizing the extraordinary risk rescuers take every day to protect members of the public. “We need to remember and reflect on the heroic actions of this crew overnight,” McNulty said. “These people do a fantastic job, volunteers in the community and putting their life at risk to go and save another vessel that was stricken and in danger.”

    Local residents in Ballina, a small close-knit coastal community, say the tragedy has left the entire town in mourning. “It affects the community when something like that happens, especially when a rescuer is lost and those people risk their lives to go and help other people in difficulty,” local resident Margie Fitzgerald told Nine’s Today programme. The stricken yacht has since fully sunk in waters off the coast, and a full investigation into the incident is expected to get underway in the coming days.

  • Alberta separatists submit petition for independence referendum

    Alberta separatists submit petition for independence referendum

    A years-long movement pushing for Alberta’s separation from Canada reached a pivotal milestone this week, as organizers of the citizen-led initiative formally submitted a petition calling for a fall independence referendum — only to see their progress halted by a court challenge from Indigenous First Nations groups.

    Led by the grassroots group Stay Free Alberta, the petition drive required a minimum of 178,000 signatures, equal to 10% of the province’s eligible voters, to qualify for a public vote. In a press conference outside Edmonton’s election office Monday, group leader Mitch Sylvestre announced organizers had collected more than 300,000 signatures, far exceeding the threshold. Calling the moment a historic turning point for the separatist cause, Sylvestre framed the campaign’s progress as advancing to the final stage of a high-stakes political process, comparing it to reaching the championship round of the Stanley Cup hockey tournament.

    The separatist movement in Alberta draws its core support from long-held grievances of western alienation, a sentiment shared by many residents who argue the province’s economic and political interests are consistently sidelined by federal decision-makers in Ottawa. Frustration has boiled over in recent years particularly over federal climate policy, which many Albertans blame for restricting growth of the province’s lucrative oil and gas industry, especially under the current Liberal federal government. Once relegated to the political fringe, the movement has gained traction over the past 12 months, pushing the once-remote possibility of a national unity crisis into the mainstream of Canadian political discourse.

    Despite the milestone for pro-separation organizers, their path forward is now blocked by a legal challenge launched by multiple First Nations communities, including the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, who argue that an independent Alberta would violate the constitutionally protected treaty rights their communities signed with the British Crown more than a century before the formation of modern Canada. According to Kevin Hille, legal counsel for the First Nation group, an international border created by separation would fundamentally alter treaty access and the community’s traditional way of life, and full independence would effectively sever the binding treaty agreements between Indigenous communities and the Canadian state.

    Hille pointed to a December 2025 ruling by an Alberta court that already found an independence referendum would be unlawful because it infringes on First Nations constitutional rights. Since that ruling, the provincial government has amended local laws to remove the requirement that citizen-initiated referendums align with the Canadian constitution, and allowed the petition process to move forward. The current court case will decide whether the original December ruling still stands despite the legislative change. A final decision on the challenge is expected by the end of May. If the First Nations challenge succeeds, only a referendum proposed directly by the provincial government could move forward, effectively ending the current citizen-led initiative. A court has already paused the official signature verification process while it considers the case.

    If the petition is ultimately approved and signatures verified, Albertans will head to the polls as early as October 19 to vote on the question: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada to become an independent state?”

    Public opinion polling suggests separation still lacks majority support among Albertans. A February 2026 survey by Canadian polling firm Abacus Data found that roughly 25% of residents support independence, while a majority remain opposed to splitting from Canada. A counter-petition organized by anti-separation activists calling “Forever Canadian” has already collected more than 450,000 signatures, and is currently under review by a provincial legislative committee to qualify for a separate public vote.

    Proponents of separation argue that independence would allow Alberta to unlock the full economic potential of its vast natural resource reserves and keep all revenue generated by the province’s energy sector. The movement has also drawn international attention: organizers confirmed earlier this year that they held meetings with officials from the U.S. Trump administration to discuss a feasibility study for a potential $500 billion line of credit in the event of separation, though they stressed they have not requested direct funding from the U.S. government.

  • The looks turning heads on the Met Gala carpet

    The looks turning heads on the Met Gala carpet

    The most anticipated evening on the global fashion calendar has officially kicked off in New York City, as A-list celebrities, industry icons, and boundary-breaking creators gather for the 2026 Met Gala, the annual fundraising gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This year’s event centers on the creative theme ‘Costume Art’, which challenges attendees to lean into lavish, whimsical design that blurs the line between clothing and fine art — a framework that has turned the iconic red carpet into a moving gallery of one-of-a-kind sartorial works.

    Helmed by an exceptionally high-profile group of co-chairs, the 2026 gala counts global music superstar Beyoncé, award-winning screen actor Nicole Kidman, five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, and Vogue Global Editorial Director Anna Wintour among its leadership, with Lauren Sánchez Bezos, wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, serving as an honorary chair. The evening opened with a showstopping performance from Broadway favorite Joshua Henry, who brought the iconic steps of the Met to life with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s *I Wanna Dance With Somebody*, backed by a full band and ensemble of dancers. The steps themselves were transformed for the night, decked out to resemble weathered moss-covered bricks set within a sprawling, lush garden to match the evening’s artistic tone.

    As guests began arriving, a steady stream of imaginative, theme-aligned looks emerged from the red carpet. Longtime Met Gala staple Anna Wintour led the way in a custom, feather-adorned Chanel creation that leaned into the event’s whimsical mandate. Co-chair Nicole Kidman stepped out alongside her daughter Sunday Rose in a striking floor-length red beaded column gown also from Chanel, while fellow co-chair Venus Williams turned heads in a glittering black gown paired with an opulent silver neckpiece encrusted with fine jewels.

    Lauren Sánchez Bezos made a particularly art-historical statement in her Schiaparelli gown, which directly references one of the most famous (and once controversial) portraits in art history: John Singer Sargent’s *Madame X*. Content creator Emma Chamberlain leaned fully into the theme in a multicolored Mugler gown by Miguel Castro Freitas designed to mimic the texture and composition of a fine art painting. Actor Cara Delevingne opted for a clever deceptive design from Ralph Lauren: a deceptively simple silhouette from the front that revealed dramatic sheer detailing when she turned, creating a striking visual effect on the garden-themed steps.

    This year’s gala also marks a groundbreaking milestone for disability representation: for the first time in the event’s history, a wheelchair user named Philip has attended the invitation-only gathering. Speaking to Vogue ahead of his arrival, Philip reflected on the historic moment, noting that for decades, disabled people were entirely shut out of representation at major fashion events. “For so long, disabled people were not represented anywhere. The thought of even being able to exist at an event like this… nobody even went there. To go from that to now, somehow finding myself there – I can’t say how blessed and honored I feel attending,” he shared.

    Disability advocate and writer Sinéad Burke also returned to the gala, stepping out in a structured black corseted gown with flowing dramatic sleeve embellishments. Other standout looks included actress Chase Sui Wonders’ diamond-encrusted pale lavender gown, *Girls* creator Lena Dunham’s vivid red Valentino gown made from feathers and sequins — a piece directly inspired by Artemisia Gentileschi’s Renaissance masterpiece *Judith Slaying Holofernes*, with details meant to evoke the painting’s dramatic depiction of blood from the Assyrian general’s neck. Pop musician Charli XCX deviated from her signature bright pink aesthetic to wear a sleek sophisticated black Saint Laurent gown with floral front detailing, while boundary-pushing artist Doja Cat wore a classically Grecian-inspired Saint Laurent silhouette crafted from an unexpected unconventional material: silicone. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka brought two distinct looks from designer Robert Wun, arriving in a white outer layer that she removed to reveal a deep maroon open-back lace-up gown underneath.

    As the evening unfolds, new red carpet arrivals and unexpected fashion moments continue to emerge, with updates rolling out across fashion and entertainment platforms throughout the night.

  • US strikes Iranian fast boats as Iran attacks UAE oil facility

    US strikes Iranian fast boats as Iran attacks UAE oil facility

    Tensions in the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz reignited dramatically on Monday, as conflicting claims of military strikes, ship attacks and port damage plunged the already volatile Persian Gulf region into a fresh crisis, just weeks after a fragile US-Iran ceasefire took hold.

    The waterway, which carries roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has remained effectively closed to commercial traffic since February, when joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran prompted Tehran to block all transit. A ceasefire agreed in early April paused Iranian drone and missile attacks on Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates, but the waterway stayed largely blocked amid a separate US blockade on Iranian ports, leaving an estimated 2,000 vessels and 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf.

    On Sunday, US President Donald Trump launched what he dubbed ‘Project Freedom’, an initiative to escort stranded neutral ships out of the blocked strait. He announced on Monday that US military forces had destroyed seven Iranian fast-attack boats in the waterway, using helicopter strikes to clear a path for transiting vessels. ‘It’s all they have left,’ the president stated of the small craft. The US military later confirmed that Navy destroyers had already escorted US-flagged commercial ships through the channel earlier that day.

    Iran has issued outright denials of all US claims, rejecting that any of its fast boats were targeted or sunk. Iranian officials also dismissed Washington’s assertion that it had escorted ships through the strait as ‘entirely false’, and countered that its own military had fired warning shots at a passing US warship – a claim the US military immediately denied. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed the US initiative, arguing that ‘events in the strait make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis,’ adding that ‘Project Freedom is Project Deadlock.’

    The first major breakthrough for the US operation came when global shipping giant Maersk confirmed that one of its US-flagged vessels, the Alliance Fairfax, which had been stranded in the Gulf since late February, had successfully exited the strait under US military escort. The company noted that the transit was completed without any harm to the 20+ crew on board, and all personnel remain safe. Maersk said the US government had reached out to offer the military escort, which the firm accepted.

    Even as the first US-escorted ship exited the waterway, multiple attacks on vessels and infrastructure were reported across the region, raising fears of a full resumption of open conflict. The UAE’s foreign ministry confirmed that a tanker owned by its state-run energy giant Adnoc was struck in the strait. South Korean officials also reported an explosion on one of its vessels anchored off the UAE coast.

    UAE air defense forces also intercepted a large barrage of incoming fire, shooting down 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones. One unblocked projectile impacted near the Fujairah Oil Port – the UAE’s largest oil storage and shipping facility, located on the country’s east coast outside the Strait of Hormuz. The strike sparked a large blaze at the terminal and left three people injured. The UAE condemned the assault as a ‘dangerous escalation’ and said it reserved the right to take retaliatory action. An unnamed Iranian military official, quoted by Iranian state television, denied that Iran had any plans to target the UAE.

    The unrest sent global energy markets spiking on Monday: benchmark Brent crude prices jumped more than 5% in intraday trading to push past $115 per barrel, as traders reacted to fears of disrupted supplies. Fujairah has emerged as a critical alternative export route since the strait closed, with a pipeline from Abu Dhabi’s inland oil fields delivering crude to the port for loading onto tankers, allowing limited exports to continue despite the blockade.

    Additional unrest was reported elsewhere along the strait: Omani state media reported that two people were injured when a residential building in the coastal town of Bukha was targeted in an attack. Neighboring Qatar, a key regional Gulf state, issued a statement condemning the attack on the Adnoc tanker and calling for the ‘unconditional reopening’ of the Strait of Hormuz to resume global commercial shipping.

    The escalation comes amid growing international pressure to resolve the months-long blockade, which has created a growing humanitarian crisis for stranded seafarers. International shipping groups have raised urgent concerns about dwindling food and medical supplies on board stuck vessels, as well as deteriorating physical and mental health for thousands of crew members trapped at sea. Trump has framed Project Freedom as a humanitarian mission, saying the US was responding to requests from nations around the world to free ‘merely neutral and innocent bystander’ ships locked in the Gulf. He has threatened to use additional force if any actor interferes with the evacuation operation, but has not laid out a clear long-term plan to reopen the strait to full commercial traffic.

  • She was an award-winning Broadway star – but still struggled to land roles

    She was an award-winning Broadway star – but still struggled to land roles

    Thirty-five years ago, a young Filipina performer named Lea Salonga stepped onto the Broadway stage and made history, winning a Tony Award for her breathtaking lead performance in *Miss Saigon*. What many do not know, however, is that even after this career-defining win, systemic barriers kept her from chasing the next opportunity. In a candid interview with the BBC, Salonga opened up about the rampant anti-Asian bias that defined her early years in Western theater: agents would submit her for auditions, only for casting teams to reject her out of hand, citing her ethnicity as the reason. “They were unable to imagine someone like me playing those roles,” she recalled.

    Today, that kind of outright exclusion feels almost unthinkable. We live in an era where K-pop powerhouses BTS and Blackpink top global music charts, Asian-led hits like *Shōgun* and *Squid Game* dominate major awards ceremonies, and Asian-led projects draw sold-out crowds on Broadway. For Salonga, who has since cemented her status as a global Broadway icon and national treasure in the Philippines, this sea change has been decades in the making.

    Even as a Tony-winning performer, Salonga’s path to the next landmark role of her career was only possible through the support of insider advocates. The opportunity to play Eponine in the long-running hit *Les Misérables* came to her without an audition, thanks to the producers of *Miss Saigon*, who also backed the iconic musical. Salonga made history as the first Asian actor to land a principal role in the production, but she remembers the casting being framed internally as little more than a low-stakes experiment.

    “When I was cast, the show had already run for five years, and January is usually a slow ticket season, so producers felt there was minimal risk,” she explained. At the time, she was the only person of color in the entire company, and the production openly questioned whether casting an Asian actor in a traditionally white role was just a publicity stunt. “Is this going to work? If it works, the reward would be great,” was the general attitude, she said.

    Stepping into that role was an experience Salonga describes as “incredibly stressful” — far more nerve-wracking than *Miss Saigon*, where she played an Asian character that fit casting expectations. “With *Les Mis*, it’s like, we’re going to cast this Asian chick in this show — and there’s never been an Asian in this show,” she said. Yet even amid the pressure, she understood the magnitude of what that breakthrough meant for future generations: “It meant that anyone who had their sights on Eponine could play it. Because if I could do it — then anyone else could, regardless of ethnic background.”

    More than 30 years later, that breakthrough has come full circle during the 2026 Singapore run of *Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular*, where Salonga now performs alongside 28-year-old Nathania Ong — the current actress playing Eponine, and the first Singaporean to ever take on the role on London’s West End. Watching Ong from backstage as she prepares for her own performance, Salonga says it’s clear the experiment she joined all those years ago worked. “It makes me think that the experiment worked. And it’s something I’m very proud to have participated in. And now it’s time for the next generation of actors to step up,” she joked.

    Ong grew up watching trailblazers like Salonga break barriers, but says she did not immediately grasp the historic weight of her own casting. “I didn’t even realize what a big deal it was to have gotten the part,” she shared. “It took a few months before I was like… I’ve made it. I’ve actually done something with this.” While she credits Salonga for opening doors for all BIPOC performers, she notes that the fight for equal representation has evolved — but is far from over. Today, the struggle is no longer just about getting a foot in the audition room: it’s about being recognized for your talent, not just hired to check a diversity box. “The thing with going for parts as an East Asian is that sometimes we struggle with the idea of: ‘Have we been hired to meet a diversity quota, or are we actually being hired because we’re good at our jobs?’” she said.

    For Salonga, the biggest and most exciting shift extends beyond casting of traditional Western roles: Asian creators are now writing and headlining their own stories, rather than just fitting into narratives crafted by others. She points to the recent Tony-winning success of *Maybe Happy Ending*, the South Korean musical that earned the country its first ever Tony Award, as a perfect example of this new era. “Seeing a show like that…winning so many awards… tells me that if something is just so good that it cannot be ignored, it will be seen,” she said. When she was a young performer, she never could have imagined a story so inherently Asian earning such widespread acclaim on Broadway, and she notes how transformative that representation is for young Asian artists growing up today. “I think for a lot of young people to be able to see somebody that looks like them up on that stage… is incredible. I think there was a generation of Asians who wanted to do this but didn’t have that representation upon which they could reflect themselves,” she said. “I’m so glad that I am now getting to see it because now my son gets to see it.”

    Salonga is also a self-described huge fan of BTS, whose global dominance she calls a landmark moment for Asian artists. She sees a familiar weight in the pressure the band carries, recalling the expectation she felt as a young performer breaking out on the global stage: “When you head to the West End and you have to be excellent or you will let 75 million people down [the population of the Philippines], that’s a lot to put on your shoulders. The responsibility is heavy,” she said. “That’s also why I appreciate BTS so much because it’s like, here you go, the weight of all of Asia is now on your shoulders.”

    The momentum for authentic Asian storytelling extends far beyond Broadway, Salonga adds, pointing to her own upcoming project: a DreamWorks animated film entirely rooted in Philippine folklore, a project she never thought possible earlier in her career. “An animated film that is based on my culture… I’d never thought I’d see something like that in my lifetime,” she said.

    When asked what her 18-year-old self would make of how far the industry has come, Salonga says the younger version of herself would be incredulous — but also inspired to know there is a space for Asian talent. “Incredibly shocked, but I think also inspired to know… that there is a space for me,” she said. “You know, you can push us to the margins – but we’re just going to centre ourselves.”